U.S. Customs looks to Internet protocol for relief

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 24) — The U.S. Customs Service wants to shift heavy users of its automated customs clearance computer network to a more sophisticated and stable way of accessing the system later this year, agency officials said.

The move is intended to bring relief to the agency’s Automated Commercial System, which has performed poorly under heavy use and is considered to be outdated.

Customs wants its high-volume users to connect to the ACS using a TCP/IP data protocol, typically used for fast connections to the Internet. A 30-day pilot project is expected to begin April 1, with full implementation by midsummer.

Using the link will not be mandatory, according to a Journal of Commerce report, but customs officials are encouraging movers of large amounts of data to adopt it to help ease the strain on ACS, as well as to streamline other communications with the agency.

For information about establishing a TCP/IP link, U.S. Customs officials are encouraging users to contact their client representative at the agency, or to sign up for AES online and have a client representative assigned to you.

The Clinton administration has proposed a levy on users of the ACS as a way to raise $1 billion US to pay for the continued development and implementation of a new clearance network. The idea has been roundly criticized by shippers, freight brokers, and the trucking industry.